Shoe store and shoe selection system

ABSTRACT

A novel shoe store and shoe selection apparatus is disclosed. The store having a customer entrance, a central customer seating area, a shoe display located near the customer entrance, shoe display means in said shoe display area comprising support means to support at least one row of shoe display bags, an enclosed shoe inventory area remotely located from said customer entrance and shoe retrieval means in said shoe inventory area comprising an overhead conveyor for supporting shoe bags of substantially the same size and number as in said shoe display means. The apparatus comprises a fixed display means having a plurality of shoe display bags with each bag having shoes of substantially the same size therein having only one shoe of a pair in the display bag and having the bags arranged in order of shoe size. The inventory is maintained in a shoe retrieval means having the shoe bags therein the sum of which contains an identical inventory of shoes to the shoe bags in the display means, with the retrieval bags grouped according to shoe size and attached to the overhead conveyor.

United States Patent [1 1 Woods June 24, 1975 SHOE STORE AND SHOESELECTION SYSTEM Warren L. Woods, Salt Lake City, Utah [73] Assignee:Wilwood lnc., Salt Lake City, Utah [22] Filed: Jan. 11, 1974 [21] Appl.No.: 432,509

[75] Inventor:

[52] U5. Cl. 186/1 R; 186/26 [51] Int. Cl. E04H 3/02 [58] Field ofSearch 186/26, 1 R, 1 B, 1 D; 211/34 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,882,488 10/1932 Ellis 186/1 R 3,669,276 6/1972 Woods 211/34Primary ExaminerRobert J. Spar Assistant Examiner-George F. AbrahamAttorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam S. Britt [57] ABSTRACT A novel shoestore and shoe selection apparatus is disclosed. The store having acustomer entrance, a central customer seating area, a shoe displaylocated near the customer entrance, shoe display means in said shoedisplay area comprising support means to support at least one row ofshoe display bags, an enclosed shoe inventory area remotely located fromsaid customer entrance and shoe retrieval means in said shoe inventoryarea comprising an overhead conveyor for supporting shoe bags ofsubstantially the same size and number as in said shoe display means.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures,llllllllllllllllllllllllllll'blllllllllllllllllllll'llll ll llllllllllllllflllllllll %temuatetell% lllllllllllllllllllll V lF/G Wi lM1"? M SHEET PATENTEIJJUN 24 I975 SHOE STORE AND SHOE SELECTION SYSTEMBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A need exists in the retailing of shoes fora system of displaying shoes so that the customers may view the stock ofthe store and select styles andsizes for purchase without constantattention from sales personnel.

Furthermore, the increasing cost of floor space and sales personnel,along with other overhead expenses, necessitates the possession of alarge inventory of shoes in a relatively small space. None of thepresent techniques of marketing shoes at retail level meet these needs.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,276, there is disclosed a shoe bag for use in asystem of marketing shoes in a retail establishment. The bag disclosedtherein is an elongated bag with intermediate supports for a single shoeon each support. Also, it is disclosed therein that a system ofmarketing shoes is possible through use of such bags wherein each shoeof a pair is located in two different bags, one bag being located in adisplay area and another bag in an inventory area. This is done so thatthe customer may see the various styles of shoes available in each sizebut with only one shoe of a pair displayed so that shoplifting isminimized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A new store and system for retailing shoes hasbeen invented. The store comprises a customer entrance, a shoe displayarea located near said customer entrance with shoe display means in thedisplay area. The shoe display means comprises support means to supportat least one row of shoe display bags. An enclosed shoe inventory areais remotely located from said shoe store entrance and contains shoeretrieval means comprising an overhead conveyor for supporting shoe bagswhich are preferably of larger size than those in the display areaalthough they may be of substantially the same size and number as arepresent in the shoe display means.

The invention also includes an automated shoe selection apparatuscomprising a fixed display means having a plurality of shoe display bagsand having only one shoe of a pair, preferably having said bags arrangedin order of increasing shoe size. Shoe retrieval means cooperates withthe fixed display means in that the second shoe of each pair in the shoedisplay resides in the retrieval means. The retrieval means comprises asufficient number of shoe bags to store the same number of shoes whichare present in the display means. The shoe bags in the display areapreferably each have to 12 pockets for receiving a single shoe while theshoe bags in the retrieval means each has preferably 12 to 16 pockets,and it is generally preferred that the shoe bags in the retrieval areahave a greater number of pockets per bag so that fewer bags are requiredin the retrieval area and less space therefore required. In the displayarea and the retrieval area the shoe bags are grouped according to shoesize.

Shoe bags particularly useful in this invention and described andclaimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,276 by the inventor hereof, thedisclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,276 being entirely incorporated hereinby reference.

Shoe bags utilized in this invention should have an end opening ratherthan a side opening. Shoe bags disclosed in Blough, U.S. Pat. No.3,184,293 and Berg,

U.S. Pat. No. 1,847,066 may be utilized in practicing the instantinvention although such bags preferably would be modified to accommodateonly one shoe on each shoe support and preferably be no wider than aboutone shoe width.

The instant invention is particularly advantageous inasmuch as aninventory of about 1200 to 1800 pairs of shoes can be displayed andstocked in a store area of only about 600 square feet while stillproviding customer seating facilities, sales office space and employeefacilities. A typical stocking of inventory for a ladies shoe store isabout 1200 to 1800 pairs of shoes in sizes of from about 4 /2 to about10 in about three standard widths. It is further advantageous in thatshoe size and style selection may be made by the customer'with verylittle, if any, attention from sales personnel. Also, the limited spacerequired and the means provided for retrieval of shoes is unique andvery advantageous.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a compact shoe store having a shoe display areaand a shoe inventory retrieval area.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a shoe bag on a display support.

FIG. 3 is an elevational end view of the shoe bag illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of shoe bags supported on a retrievalconveyor.

FIG. 5 is a section view the conveyor and an attached bag shown in FIG.4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a shoe display rack.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a hanger for attaching shoe bags to asupport.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 a plan view of a novelretail shoe store and novel shoe selection apparatus is illustrated. Anelongated shoe display area 10 is located near customer entrance 11. Thecustomer entrance is typically located at the front of the store, whichis generally much nar-' rower than the store length. Store frontage isgenerally more expensive so it is preferred to have an elongated storewith a modest front dimension, for example, from about 12 to about 20feet in width. The shoe display area comprises an area of about 2 toabout 3 feet in width and about 20 to about 40 feet in length with atypical commercial establishment being about 25 to 35 feet in length. Inthe shoe display area a support structure to support a row' of shoe bagsof the type illustrated in FIG. 6 is preferred.

The shoe display support may be of the type illustrated in FIG. 6although other support devices may be utilized. It is preferred that theshoe bags be supported in single rows with the rear portions of the bagin substantial contact with an outer wall of the store and the open endsof the bags facing outward. The rows of bags may be arranged in order ofincreasing size of shoes contained therein. Also, the shoe bags arepreferably color coded so that shoes of a particular size are all inbags of the same color. Also, shoes of a common size, for example, sizes3 through 8 in ladies shoes may occupy bags in separate rows in order toprovide maximum access without undue crowding of customers. A pair ofrows of shoe bags 12 having open ends 13 facing towards the center ofthe store on either side of the store permits customers to substantiallyencircle the display. The shoe display area should accommodate fromabout to about shoe bags 12 each having space to accommodate about 10 to12 shoes.

An elongated customer seating area 25 is preferably located near thecenter line of the store to provide seating accommodations for abouteight to 16 customers. Also, a shoe retrieval area is preferably locatedalong one sidewall, preferably the sidewall which contains the fewestshoe bags. It is preferred to have an unequal number of shoes bags alongopposite walls in order to provide the maximum amount of space along onewall to locate said retrieval means. The shoe retrieval area preferablyincludes an area adjacent a portion of the backwall as well. In FIG. 1an L-shaped conveyor 26 is illustrated. The conveyor 26 is powered by aremote motor wired so that a particular section of conveyor 26 can beselected and caused to be moved adjacent the stock retrieval opening 27.The stock conveyor 26 preferably contains the bags to provide storagefor the same number of shoes which are present in the shoe display area10. It is preferred that each bag in the shoe retrieval means have ashoe capacity at least as large as a single bag in the display area. Inthe display area, customer considerations such as aesthetics,convenience and the like dictate that each bag hold to 12 shoes whilethe desirability of effectively utilizing storage space makes the use oflonger bags having a shoe capacity of 12 to 16 shoes preferable. If bagsof the same size are utilized, then each bag supported on the stockconveyor has a substantially identical mate in the shoe display area.The stock conveyor 26 may be selectively programmed so that a particularbag may be automatically positioned beside stock opening 27, forexample, if shoe sizes 6AA are in a particular bag or in a particulargroup of bags, the pressing of an appropriate button on a control panelcan move the bag or bags containing shoe sizes 6AA to a position alongside the stock opening 27. The stock conveyor 26 is of conventionaldesign and may be substantially similar to conveyors presently utilizedin dry cleaning establishments. In fact, by utilizing a hanger of thetype illustrated in FIG. 8, the bags may be similarly supported in boththe shoe display area and on the stock conveyor.

The conveyor 26 may be manually operated and the appropriate bagselected by its color and associated index.

The conveyor with shoe bags attached occupies less space than othermeans of stocking or inventorying single shoes matching the shoes in thedisplay area. Alternatively, a stock of shoes similar to the displaystock can be formed by hanging two rows of bags with a narrow centralaisle therebetween. However, inasmuch as it is desired to maintain thematching shoe to the shoe displayed in the shoe display means in anenclosed area, the space required is greater than that required for theabove-described retrieval arrangement. Unless the shoe inventory orstock is maintained in an enclosed area it will be possible forcustomers to have access to that area and to place in their possessionboth shoes to a particular pair. Thus, the likelihood of shopliftingwill be increased. A stockroom arrangement having fixed rows of bagsrequires an area the same length as the shoe display area with a widthof at least about 6 feet so that personnel could pass between the doublerows of bags to select the matching shoe. This would be more timeconsuming for the sales personnel and the stock room would require agreater area. A stock room using a conveyor system requires less thanabout 4V2 feet of width and may require only about 3 feet and requiresan overall area substantially less than the shoe display area andassociated aisles. Also, the sales clerk may be preparing the sales slipwhile waiting for the conveyor to bring the correct bag to the shoeretrieval station rather than manually searching the stock for thematching mate.

A shoe bag particularly useful in the instant invention for displayingand stocking shoes is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The bag 12 has anopen end 13 and a closed end 14. The sides 15 and 16 are preferablyformed of a single sheet of flexible material. A top loop 17 is formedof the fabric so that it can slide about a support rod or other slenderelongated support. The loop 17 may be a continuous loop or it may beaffixed with a snap means or zipper or other means of closing the loopso that it will support the weight of a filled bag. Bags of this typeare more particularly described in US. Pat. No. 3,669,276.

A hanger particularly useful in this invention is illustrated in FIG. 7.This hanger may be used in supporting bags in the shoe display and forsupporting bags on a retrieval conveyor.

One of the problems involved in self-service sale of shoes ismaintaining the display of shoes. Since the customers will frequently beremoving shoes from the shoe display means, trying them on and returningthe shoes to the shoe display, it will frequently occur that the shoeswill be replaced in the wrong shoe bag or in the wrong slot in aparticular shoe bag. Thus, a readily observable indexing means isdesirable so that the sales personnel may quickly scan the shoe displayand determine if any shoes have been placed in the wrong slot. Oneparticular advantageous index means comprises color coding of the bagsin conjunction with a numbering system.

As indicated hereinabove, it is preferred to place shoes of the samesize in bags of the same color. Thus, the placing of all size 6 shoesin, for example, blue bags renders it easy to determine when the stockof size 6 shoes is getting low and with the appropriate color code it iseasily determined when a shoe has been placed in the wrong bag. Acolored tag or decal of the same color as the bag is attached to a shoewhich is to be deposited in a bag of that color. The placement of a shoeof one size in a bag of shoes of another size is quickly detected by thecolor tag contrasting with the color of the bag.

It is very important in a self-service retail establishment to have thestock appropriately placed so that the customer will be able to findexactly what he or she desires without undue searching. Thus, theaffixing of a code or index means to the shoes to match the bag in whichit is placed enhances the use of the shoe display.

In FIG. 4 a conveyor system for retrieval of stocked shoes isillustrated which comprises an overhead rail 20 to which rollers 18glide and have pendent therefrom an elongated link 19 which interlockswith links on either side to provide means for supporting bags attachedby hangers. The elongated link 19 has a plurality of openings in whichthe hook of a hanger such as that illustrated in FIG. 7 can be inserted.The color coding of bags in the shoe retrieval apparatus greatlyfacilitates the retrieving of the stock, especially when the conveyor isnot automated to stop at a preselected position. An operator caninitiate movement of the conveyor and then readily stop the conveyorwhen the appropriate bag appears at the stock removal opening. Forexample, a sales clerk having a shoe with a blue tag thereon operatesthe conveyor until the blue bags appear. The conveyor is then stoppedand the appropriate or matching shoe is located in one of the blue bags.

The conveyor illustrated in FIG. 4 has an overall L- shape adapted tofit into a compact shoe store as illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein thelonger length L extends along the longer dimension of the store whilethe shorter length 1 extends along the shorter dimension of the store.Although a linear shaped conveyor is readily usable in this invention,it is preferred to utilize an L-shaped conveyor to the maximum advantageof available space.

A pair of idler wheels 21 and 22 placed angularly opposite one anotherand in contact with elongated links 19 of the conveyor form the cornersof the conveyor. A third idler wheel 23 is located at one end of theconveyor. The idler wheels make contact with links 19 to guide the linksaround the turns of the conveyor. Although idler wheels could beeliminated, they do prevent excessive swinging of the load at thecorners and further assist rollers 18 to maintain contact with rails 20.A drive wheel 24 engages links 19 to propel the chain of interlockinglinks around the conveyor. Drive wheel 24 is preferably located near theend of short length l. The drive motor, associated gear reductionmechanism and the like are also preferably located near the end of shortlength l.

Rail is an elongated continuous support rail having an overall L-shapeand forming a support for rollers 18. As illustrated in FIG. 5, rail 20is preferably a channel-like member.

An end view of the conveyor with shoe bag attached is illustrated inFIG. 5. FIG. 6 illustrates a shoe bag attached to a support apparatusforming a shoe display means.

Although the invention has been described herein by reference tospecific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited solely thereto,but to include all the variations and modifications falling within thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A novel compact shoe store comprising:

a. a store entrance;

b. a shoe display area located proximate said store entrance;

c. shoe display means in said shoe display area comprising support meansto support at least one row of shoe display bags;

d. an enclosed shoe inventory area remotely located from said storeentrance;

e. shoe retrieval means in said shoe inventory area comprising anoverhead conveyor for supporting shoe bags of substantially the samesize and number as said shoe display means.

2. An automated shoe selection apparatus comprisa. fixed display meanshaving a plurality of shoe display bags thereon, each bag having singleshoe holding means,

b. shoe retrieval means comprising conveyor means having attachedthereto the same number and type of shoe bags as the display means, saidretrieval means having shoe bags of the same color as shoe bags in saiddisplay means wherein each shoe bag of the same color contains shoes ofsubstantially the same size,

c. propulsion means to move said bags along said conveyor.

1. A novel compact shoe store comprising: a. a store entrance; b. a shoedisplay area located proximate said store entrance; c. shoe displaymeans in said shoe display area comprising support means to support atleast one row of shoe display bags; d. an enclosed shoe inventory arearemotely located from said store entrance; e. shoe retrieval means insaid shoe inventory area comprising an overhead conveyor for supportingshoe bags of substantially the same size and number as said shoe displaymeans.
 2. An automated shoe selection apparatus comprising: a. fixeddisplay means having a plurality of shoe display bags thereon, each baghaving single shoe holding means, b. shoe retrieval means comprisingconveyor means having attached thereto the same number and type of shoebags as the display means, said retrieval means having shoe bags of thesame color as shoe bags in said display means wherein each shoe bag ofthe same color contains shoes of substantially the same size, c.propulsion means to move said bags along said conveyor.